The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

— Mark Twain

The other day, I was spinning. Not physically spinning, but mentally. Within the past six months I have studied for and passed my life/health insurance license, started a new job, moved into a new apartment, and countless other things. And with each task came a dozen small ones. For the past six months, I feel as I haven’t even taken a moment to breathe.

I haven’t been going to gym, I haven’t been eating very well, I haven’t been sleeping very well, and most of all, I haven’t been thinking very well. My mind feels like it is in a constant fog. I have been forgetful and confused. Things in my life changed and I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) keep up with it all.

I stopped going to the gym because I didn’t want to wake up at 4 am. I stopped eating as healthy I had been because it was easier to buy pre-made food. I slept less because I wasn’t used to my new schedule. All of these things had easy fixes but for whatever reason I was unwilling to adjust.

Jacob and I had a long talk about all of these things because it wasn’t just me who couldn’t adjust. We both struggled with all of the big changes and it was really starting to take a toll on our well being. After our talk we decided that we would start going to the gym again, start up a healthier diet, and overall take better care of ourselves. It’s easier for me to do it if Jake is doing it too because he is so encouraging and wonderful. I love him.

So, my next goal with this blog is to start sharing some healthier recipes on here. Whenever I make a dessert recipe, I test it at least two times and that’s TWO BATCHES of sweets that I have to taste test. I usually bring some over to my family members or even to work, but still! Trust me, there will still be PLENTY of sweet things to come, but I think a wholesome recipe every now and again won’t hurt anyone!

Aaaaand this weeks recipe is: Tahini Rice Krispie Treats! because I couldn’t help myself but share this recipe before I try out some healthier ones. These Tahini Rice Krispie Treats are so freaking good. They are chewy, slightly ‘krispie’, marshmallow-y, and yes, tahini-y.

To be honest, I never really liked rice krispie treats as a kid. I ate them if they were around because I was a kid but I always they were overly sweet and I wasn’t a big fan of marshmallows. But, if you know anything about me as a baker, you know that I will always try to recreate those old “hated” recipes into something I will like.

The idea for these Tahini Rice Krispie Treats came about because I love tahini. Tahini is sesame seed paste, like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds! It is slightly bitter which pairs perfectly with overly sweet desserts (cough cough rice krispie treats). This recipe uses tahini in both the marshmallow mixture that coats the rice cereal and in the caramel sauce that is slathered on top.

If you’ve never made rice krispie treats before, they are very easy to make. All you do is melt some butter, marshmallows, and tahini and then mix it into some rice krispie cereal. You then press it into a 9x13” pan and refrigerate until cool. While that’s cooling, you’ll prepare your tahini caramel sauce. If you’ve never made caramel before it can look a little intimidating. Trust me, I was scared my first time too but Bon Appetit has great video you can watch here. The recipe is a basic caramel sauce recipe and you just add a couple tablespoons of tahini in at the end. You then pour it on top of the rice krispie treats and put back in the fridge until it is completely set. The last thing you have to do is slice them into squares and enjoy!

These Tahini Rice Krispie Treats are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and bitter. I brought the extras to work and well, SOME people may have referred to them as “the special rice krispie treats”. Needless to say, everyone loved them. Even Jake agreed that they were very good even though he, “hated them as a kid”.

So, if you need a quick treat to bring to your next event, these Tahini Rice Krispie Treats are it! If you try this recipe or any other recipes from A Common Kitchen, please share your photos and/or feedback. I’d love to hear from you! Happy baking everyone.

Xx

Tahini Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

For the Rice Krispie Treats

6 Cups Rice Cereal (such as Rice Krispies)

6 Tablespoons Butter (plus extra for buttering the pan)

6 Tablespoons Tahini Paste

6 Cups Mini Marshmallows

For the Tahini Caramel Sauce

1 Cup Sugar

3 Tablespoons Water

1⁄8 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

½ Cup Heavy Cream

4 Tablespoons Butter, cubed

3 Tablespoons Tahini

Directions:

Make the Rice Krispie Treats:

Butter a 9x13” baking dish and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch over-hang above the long sides of the pan— this allows you to easily remove the rice krispies without having to tip the whole pan upside down.

In a large bowl add the rice cereal and set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, add the butter and tahini and turn the heat to medium. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted and evenly combined with the tahini. Add in the marshmallows and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully melted and no solid pieces of marshmallow remain, about 2 minutes.

Dump the melted marshmallow mixture into the bowl with the rice cereal and mix using a rubbed spatula until each piece of rice cereal is coated in the tahini marshmallow mixture.

Dump the rice krispie mixture into the baking dish and gently flatten it out into one even layer.

Refrigerate until completely cooled, about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the tahini caramel sauce.

Make the Tahini Caramel Sauce:

Have your heavy cream, butter, and tahini next to the stove so its ready for you to use. In a medium sized heavy-bottomed sauce pan, combine the sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Give everything a good mix to fully combine. Turn the heat to medium and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.

3. Once the mixture has started to rapidly bubble and most of the water has evaporated, lower the heat to medium-low and cook the caramel, swishing the pan around (don't stir it at this point) until the caramel has changed colors to a deep amber and you can start to smell the caramel notes, 3-4 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the oven. Slowly and carefully drizzle in the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Be careful while adding the cream because the caramel tends to splatter. Add in the butter one tablespoon at a time and whisk fully in between each tablespoon. Next, add in the tahini and stir until fully combined.

If the caramel seizes up slightly, don’t panic. Just return the pot to the stove and heat over medium-low until the caramel becomes loose again.

Transfer the caramel to a bowl to cool down.

To Assemble:

Remove the rice krispie treats from the fridge.

Pour all of the tahini caramel sauce over the top of the rice krispie treats and use a small offset spatula to spread it all the way to the edges and to flatten it out.

Place the rice krispies back into the fridge and let cool completely, about 1-1.5 hours.

Once the Tahini Rice Krispie Treats are fully set, remove them using the over hang of parchment paper and place them on to a large cutting board. Cut in to 2x2” squares, sprinkle a little bit of fleur de sel on top, and enjoy!